


Reconnecting

by traversewonderland



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-07
Updated: 2017-02-10
Packaged: 2018-09-22 18:37:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9620399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/traversewonderland/pseuds/traversewonderland
Summary: When Spencer Reid was sixteen, he met Annabelle Shorter who quickly became his safe haven. When she left for school, they tried to keep in touch, but inexperience led to them losing contact. What happens when the redhead comes barrelling into Spencer's life? Can they pick back up or has time changed them too much?





	1. First meetings

     Spencer Reid had a difficult time growing up, that could never be denied. But, once he enrolled in Caltech and stayed in Pasadena with family friends, there was a safe haven he found. The private school kids around the city had a tendency to hang out in one bookstore. It was owned by an older woman who he found enjoyed having people to fuss over. He could pretend like he was not working on his degree if he wanted. And Mrs. Holman’s bookstore fueled a burgeoning coffee addiction.  
     His safe haven came when a redhead came and settled on the couch beside him. It would be a lie to say he hadn’t noticed her before. Sure, she was pretty, but what Spencer paid attention to was how she floated between every social group. Even in this bookstore, cliques formed and bullies emerged. She never seemed to buy into the divisions.  
     “You don’t ever talk to anybody,” she stated, looking over at him as she smoothed her skirt. “I don’t know why, but I kinda get the impression you’re nervous. I thought I could be a good liaison.”  
     God, why was it so hard for him to talk. He was sixteen now, working on his first PhD. She’s a pretty girl being nice. But, in the back of Reid’s mind would always be his high school experiences. This all had to be a trick.  
     “O-okay,” he finally managed, eying her. “I’m Spencer?”  
     “You don’t sound too sure,” she teased gently. “I’m Annabelle.”  
     “Nice to meet you, Annabelle.”  
     “So, why ain’t you ever with anybody?” she asked, making herself at home. It soon became evident to him that she had no plans to leave him with his book.  
     “I don’t know. Moved here for school,” he offered up. It was different than saying I’m a freak working on his PhD at sixteen. Still want to talk?  
     “For school?” she asked, brow knitted as she tilted her head.  
     “Um, I graduated a little early?”  
     “That’s a lie. Tell me the truth, please?” A toothy grin in his direction.  
     “I’m working on my PhD. I finished high school when I was twelve.”  
     “That’s really cool.” Did she just call him cool?  
     “Uh, sure,” he muttered, shifting awkwardly. “Listen, I don’t know who put you up to this, but I’m really not up for it.”  
     “Spencer, I wasn’t put up to anything. I just wanted to see if I could get you talking, okay? If you ain’t up for it, it’s okay. But can I at least give you my number? If you ever want someone to hang out with, I’d like to.”  
     Unsure what else to do, Spencer nodded as he found the way to input a new contact. He was in awe of how well she’d apparently mastered the keypad. He didn’t text enough not to have to check and see how many presses of a button would get a “t”. Once she had sent herself a text, Annabelle gave him his phone.  
     “I’ll leave you to your book,” she smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear. “But I’ll text you later.”  
     “Thanks,” he grinned, getting just a little more hopeful she wasn’t trying to hurt him. Watching as Annabelle returned to her friends, he couldn’t shake the feeling something might be going right for once.


	2. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They drift apart and come back together. For both, it's hard to manage expectations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

     What happened over the next few weeks felt like a dream for Spencer. He had an actual friend. Annabelle and Spencer were fast becoming inseparable. He would call her every evening, eager to hear about her day. She would text him every morning before school. It didn’t take long for him to realize why she seemed so eager for a friend. Though he’d seen her get along with everyone, the bookstore was the only time anyone talked to her. She was on her own at school. No one put forth the effort to hang out with her. Her relationship with her parents was hampered by their preference for jet-setting without her. She was alone too, even if it was a different alone from Spencer’s.  
     He wasn’t sure when he fell for her. Maybe it was a few months after they met when she found out he’d gotten published and showed up with a tub of ice cream and a stack of movies to celebrate. It could have been the way she smiled the day they spent on the beach, both of them having to hide from the sun to spare their pale skin. All he knew was that his feelings for her had changed and it scared him.  
     Luckily for Spencer Reid, Annabelle had fallen for him too, and she was far braver. Her parents were always away, so most evenings were spent with the two of them sprawled on the couch or swimming outside. One night, mid-movie, she reached over and took Spencer’s hand. His heart soared and, in a moment of bravery, he pulled her to lay with her head against his chest. Nothing in his life gave him the same joy as he felt when her arm snaked around his middle.  
     The first time they kissed it was Spencer who initiated. As they stood at the end of the pier, he watched her as she watched the water. He was sure it hadn’t been a conscious decision, but it just felt right.  
     “Spenny, are we a thing?” she asked softly, cheeks flushed as she stood close to his side.  
     “Y-you mean a couple?” She nodded, biting her lip. “I’d like to be. Still feels like it’s a dream.”  
     “It does. I know you told me the stuff that happened. I won’t ever hurt you like that.” And Annabelle kept her promise, at least until college. When she got a scholarship to Loyola in her hometown of New Orleans, she had to go. It was a full ride for the music program, and as she told Spencer, they celebrated. Then reality set in. At first, they worked their asses off to stay together. Eventually, both got so busy that they rarely spoke. It was Spencer who suggested things end, and Annabelle agreed with a heavy heart.  
     They both kept track of each other. When Annabelle started having her song recorded, Spencer called her. When Spencer began working for the FBI, Annabelle called him. But they never seemed to be in the same place. When a trip to D.C. happened to correspond with Spencer’s time off, he offered to pick her up at the airport and Annabelle couldn’t resist the urge to agree. They had only spoken once or twice a year, but she needed to know how he’d been. The flight from California, the home she’d returned to, seemed endless.  
     Her flight was running late, and the thought crossed Spencer’s mind that his girlfriend from fifteen years ago shouldn’t still make his stomach do flips. She was, without a doubt, his first love. If he was honest, Maeve had been the only other woman he’d loved. But this was a different feeling. Even when not romantically linked, Spencer felt like his happiness was somehow tied to her. If she called and was in a tough place, Spencer found himself more on edge until he knew she was happier. If she called in a good place, it felt like whatever he was dealing with was made just a little bit better.  
     The moment Spencer honestly knew he was helpless was when he spotted the redhead passing through the gate, and his heart started to beat faster, the same as it had in high school. If he’d known Annabelle was feeling the same, it might have relaxed him. Her head felt like it was floating as she watched Spencer looking around. She had the advantage of spotting him first. As she waited to get off the plane, she worried there would be resentment or hurt on his face when they reunited. It had been fifteen years since they saw each other in person, but she sometimes felt guilty that she had not worked harder to see him or contact him. All her worries evaporated when they made eye contact, and his face broke into the familiar, goofy grin she remembered. Dragging her bag behind her, she hurried to him, wrapping her friend in a hug.  
     “I missed you, Spenny,” she whispered, clinging to him.  
     “I know, Annie. I missed you too.”


End file.
